EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: ornea on August 06, 2021, 09:32:05 pm
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When I was a boy ... we used these contact fault locators in Telstra (aka Telecom Aust) to determine if a coax connector was faulty. Each and every connector was tested by connecting to the Contact Fault Locator and tapping the connectors with a nylon hammer. It was very good at finding suspect connectors.
Any suggestions on how such a device would work? Theory of operation?
This is a follow on from a previous post about testing GPIB cables. We made a jig where each conductor is snaked to the other. However, all my tests seem to indicate that the cables are very good. The tests include:-
1. Passing a range of currents thru the snaked cable in series with a 8-ohm speaker and tapping, wiggling and re-mating the connectors. (The mating's are audible but once mated are silent)
2. Passing a current thru the snaked cable and using a cro to scope the volt drop across the snaked cable then tapping, wiggling and re-mating the connectors
All these tests indicate that the GPIB cables and connectors are rock solid. And they may well be but I am suspicious.
So how to detect the smallest of current variations and amplify. Any suggestions. I think Mr Carlson's Lab has a design but maybe available to Patrons only.
Thanks for reading
Ornea